Does anyone watch the Ina Garten series of cookery shows called the 'Barefoot Contessa?' She makes some very interesting recipes, many of which I would love to try. The trouble is she never says how many people her recipes will serve. Last week she made a chicken soup with dumplings. It looked very tasty but she used 3 whole chickens and vegetables just to make the stock! This was only the first course. Then she made stuffed cabbage leaves (with minced meat and herbs). She used a whole cabbage, and two pounds of minced meat! The thing was this was supposed to be for her and her husband! Of course I agree she probably freezes much of it but why not say, 'this will serve eight people', or whatever.
I rarely watch but I do enjoy her calm nature when I catch a show. The complete recipes with the "yields" listed at top should be online at foodnetwork.com. Sounds like she must have been out after a very rich, flavorful base for the soup....using 3 chickens will make really rich stock because of all the bones. Now I'm craving chicken soup!
